Interpol to issue arrest notices for 1994 Argentina bombing suspects

[JURIST] The Interpol General Assembly [official website] Wednesday voted to issue arrest notices [press release] for five Iranians and one Lebanese man wanted in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish Community Center [Wikipedia backgrounder]. On Monday, Iran ended its formal attempts [JURIST report] to prevent the issuance of the red notices [Interpol backgrounder], which included lobbying General Assembly delegates, particularly those from African and Asian countries, and distributing leaflets saying that Argentina's investigation into the bombing was flawed. Iran noted that several of the witnesses cited in the Argentinian investigation are themselves wanted by Interpol, and said the vote was being used by Israel and the United States as a political tool.

Argentinian prosecutors have alleged that the bombing was planned by Iranian officials, and carried out by the Lebanese group Hezbollah [BBC backgrounder]. The country originally sought the arrests of high ranking members of the Iranian government, including former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani [official website, in Farsi; JURIST report], but Interpol's Executive Committee [official website] denied the request and granted only six of the nine Red Notices requested by Argentina. The authorization of the notices went before the General Assembly following an Iranian appeal of the Executive Committee decision. AP has more.

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